This article is about the medieval Irish kingdom of Aileach; for the royal fort of that kingdom see Grianan of Aileach. Ailech (also spelled Aileach) was a medieval kingdom in Ireland, roughly centered around modern-day County Tyrone and the Inishowen peninsula in Ulster. The Kings of Ailech belonged to the northern Uí Néill and took their name from the Grianán of Ailech (Irish: Grianán Ailigh), a hillfort on top of Greenan Mountain in modern County Donegal. The restored fort stands in a commanding position at the base of the Inishowen peninsula overlooking Lough Swilly to the west and Lough Foyle to the east.
The kings of Ailech were frequently counted as High Kings of Ireland; holding the title alternately with the Clann Cholmáin branch of the "southern Uí Néill" in the sixth to tenth centuries. Those kings who were not High Kings, sometimes appear styled "King of the North" by the Irish annals, indicating their claims to the overlordship of the northern branches of the Uí Néill.
Early Kings (5th-8th Centuries)
Earlier Kings of Cenél nEógain and Ailech included:
Kings between 700 and 1185
The following is a list of their Kings from 700 to 1185. Some were also High Kings of Ireland.
Kings post-1185
From 1185, the Cenél nEógain ruled as Kings of Tír Eógain.
References
- "Cenel nEogain Kings of Ailech 700-1185", pages 194-195 in A New History of Ireland, volume IX, ed. Byrne, Martin, Moody, 1984.
- T.M.Charles-Edwards, Early Christian Ireland
- Francis J.Byrne, Irish Kings and High-Kings
See also
External links
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